The coupling module as an interface between a passenger bridge or stairs and the fuselage of an aircraft is known from the prior art. Such coupling modules are disposed, for example on the passenger boarding bridge, in the area of the front end of the passenger boarding bridge and form the immediate transition from the passenger bridge on the one hand and the aircraft on the other hand. In particular, such a coupling module as an interface comprises a folding canopy, the folding canopy being U-shaped in a front view and featuring a bumper at its end, with which the folding canopy can be swung out by way of an appropriate pivoting device toward the fuselage of the aircraft in the area of the entrance of the aircraft. Before the canopy is swung toward the fuselage of the aircraft, the passenger bridge with the coupling module is driven relatively close to the aircraft, ideally until the floor area of the coupling module comes to rest with the front side bumper on the fuselage of the aircraft.
However, the fuselages of aircraft are very contoured, in particular in the front area of the aircraft. This means that a complete abutment of the floor of the coupling module on the aircraft could not be ensured, in particular in the front area of the aircraft fuselage. In this respect, the document EP 2 463 199 B1 already discloses a floor of a coupling module, which can be at least partially segmented. Especially in the case of a coupling module that must come to rest on an aircraft in the front area of the aircraft fuselage in the area of the door opening, this allows for a gap-less abutment on the aircraft fuselage, at least in the highly contoured area of the aircraft fuselage.
However, the latest aircraft have an outer hull that no longer allows for an abutment of parts of the passenger bridge or passenger boarding stairs on the outer hull of the fuselage of the aircraft, because the aircraft hull is made of a synthetic material, so that even a light abutment of components, of a passenger bridge for example, can lead to damage to the fuselage. It would be desirable to overcome the limitations of the existing coupling modules and to provide a better solution.